Head Slaps and Hand Grenades
by NCISVU
Summary: Gibbs and Tony are sent to rescue six civilians stranded in a remote part of Afghanistan but getting them out of the war-torn country proves to be more than a little complicated. Second in the Red Tide Series. Tibbs. Slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Head Slaps and Hand Grenades**

**Chapter One: Do That Again!**

Grocery day wasn't a favorite for either Gibbs or Tony. Despite the list they tried to keep up with, neither knew what to get beyond beer, steak and spaghetti which they were quickly growing tired of. They'd already gone back and forth across the store several times but hardly had anything in their cart.

"What about burgers?" Gibbs suggested looking over the selection of meat.

"Gummy bears," Tony said only half focused on the task at hand. He had a major sweet tooth. The only thing on his mind was candy.

Gibbs reached over and smacked the back of Tony's head. The young man had added enough popcorn, candy and junk food to the cart to last them a month but hadn't contributed anything they could eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Tony's eyes went wide as soon as Gibbs' hand made contact with his head. The head slap seemed to have gone straight to his groin and his arousal was fairly obvious through his shorts. "Whoa!" he mumbled in shock at the affect the head slap had had on him. "Do that again!"

Gibbs cocked his head in confusion but as soon as he followed Tony's line of vision, he saw the bulge in the younger man's shorts. He just smirked as he shook his head. "Not here," he said grabbing a package of ground beef.

"Too late," Tony whispered.

Gibbs walked by Tony making sure to brush against his erection. He hummed in approval as Tony leaned into him wanting more contact. "I'll take care of that when we get home," Gibbs said with a wink.

"I don't know if I can wait that long," Tony said.

"Then stop screwing around and help me!" Gibbs scolded.

"Screwing around," Tony muttered.

Gibbs rolled his eyes at Tony's impressive ability to turn even the most innocent phrase into something sexual.

The two made their way through the store one last time, finally gathering enough groceries to refill their empty cupboards. They got in line and Tony skimmed over the magazines while he waited. When he didn't find anything interesting he grabbed another candy bar and tossed it into the cart while Gibbs chose a pack of gum. When their cashier got on the intercom and paged a manager Tony really started fidgeting. It was taking entirely too long for his liking.

"Calm down," Gibbs said.

"I can't," Tony said. "Will you do that again?"

"I told you, not here," Gibbs said.

The manager came and Tony hummed the Final Jeopardy theme music while the woman fixed whatever problem the cashier was having. As soon as Gibbs glared at him, he stopped. They put their groceries on the conveyor belt and the cashier started ringing them up.

"I've got it," Gibbs said when he saw Tony reaching for his wallet. They took turns buying things, neither of them really keeping track. With free housing and no car payments money was never an issue.

As Gibbs was pulling his wallet out of his back pocket both his and Tony's pagers went off. Tony groaned his displeasure loudly as Gibbs pulled his pager off his belt and looked at the number.

"It's Bryce," he said.

"Nooo," Tony groaned. Bryce meant a case and a case meant no head slap leading to sex. He grumbled angrily as Gibbs paid the cashier then the two headed out to his Mustang in the parking lot.

* * *

"You guys are on your way to Fort Savage, a couple hundred miles south of Kandahar," Bryce said. "It's the last forward operating base left in the area. The military's pulling out but we have a group of civilians near there who need to be evacuated. You'll be working with a small platoon of Marines to get the civilians then bring them home to the US."

"Dangerous?" Tony asked.

"It's Afghanistan, Agent DiNozzo," Bryce answered.

"Right," Tony said.

"I'll send you guys the information. Watch each other's sixes," Bryce said.

"Always," Gibbs replied.

* * *

"Which one of you's gonna take over when it's my bedtime?" Ace asked as Gibbs and Tony loaded their gear on the plane.

Tony looked at Gibbs and Gibbs looked skeptically at Ace. He knew the man was joking but Ace had the rare ability to tell a joke with a straight face.

"Relax, I'm just pulling your leg," Ace said. "This is JT Rudd. He'll be my copilot on the longer flights. Used to fly with the Blue Angels. He was grounded after an injury but he's more than capable."

Gibbs nodded at the young, hotshot aviator as he shook his hand.

"Hey man," Tony said bumping fists with the pilot.

"Sup," JT said with a nod.

"Wheels up in twenty minutes," Ace said. "You both know the drill."

* * *

Gibbs sat reclined on the couch with his feet propped up on his duffle bag in front of him as he read over the information they had on the civilians they were evacuating. Tony was stretched out lengthwise with his head in Gibbs' lap getting to know the small group of Marines they'd be working with. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses would help them know how to best utilize the extra manpower.

There were six civilians staying in a small house outside of a tiny town near a no name river in the otherwise dry landscape. They were working as missionaries of sorts, two of them providing some very basic medical care and the other four educating any women and children who came to them. With American forces moving out and the political instability in the region it wasn't safe for them to continue their work there. It had taken some time to convince the group they needed to leave but they'd eventually agreed.

Tony finished reading up on the Marines and started flapping the personnel folders back and forth. "LJ, will you slap the back of my head again?" he asked. He knew the answer and he knew they needed to focus but there was only but so much they could get accomplished on the plane and Tony really wanted to feel that electrifying sensation again.

"What'd you learn?" Gibbs asked ignoring Tony's request. If Tony's mind was drifting back to sex that meant he was done with his task, at least that's what Gibbs hoped it meant.

"Same basics as every fort just less manpower," Tony said. "They have a communications expert, a corpsman, an EOD tech, infantrymen and a pilot, although I think I'd prefer Ace."

"We definitely want the EOD tech and the communications expert," Gibbs said, "and I agree with taking Ace. We'll take a few of the others if they can spare them."

"They've got a helo we should be able to use too," Tony added, "a sea stallion so it's big enough we can grab everybody in one trip."

"Perfect," Gibbs said. "Our civilians are two male, four female, average, run of the mill people. We've got two teachers, a stay at home mom, a city bus driver and two paramedics."

"Sounds good," Tony said nestling further into Gibbs' lap. "If you're not gonna slap the back of my head again, I'm gonna get some shuteye."

Gibbs combed his fingers through Tony's sun streaked hair as the younger man yawned and closed his eyes. He watched as the tension left Tony's body. It didn't take long for him to settle into sleep. Once Tony was out, Gibbs took the folders from Tony's chest and stacked them with the ones he'd been looking through. He set them aside then rested his head against the couch and joined Tony in sleep.

* * *

"Sergeant First Class James Tripp," a middle aged man said as he shook hands with first Gibbs and then Tony. "You can call me Tripp. I'm the platoon sergeant at Fort Savage."

"I'm Gibbs, this is DiNozzo—Tony," Gibbs introduced.

"Washington already briefed me on your mission. I have a few men I can loan you," Tripp said. "I really appreciate you guys flying 'em home. We don't have the room or the resources for them here and we don't get many flights to and from the US."

"Not a problem, Sergeant," Gibbs said.

"We'd like to meet with the men and go over the plan, Tripp, if that's okay," Tony said.

"I'll gather them while you guys get settled in," Tripp said. "Meet in the Mess Hall in fifteen?"

"Sounds good," Gibbs said.

"We don't have much extra room but we do have a small tent you guys can work out of," Tripp said. "It's the second to the last one in that row," he said pointing towards their tent.

"We appreciate it," Gibbs said.

Gibbs and Tony headed to their tent, taking in their surroundings as they went. It was dry, sandy and dusty; definitely not the nicest accommodations but they'd both stayed in worse. With any luck they wouldn't be there long.

"How come you always introduce yourself as Gibbs?" Tony asked as he dropped his heavy bag on one of the cots.

"Habit I guess," Gibbs said with a shrug. He hadn't given it much thought.

"Does it bother you that I call you LJ?"

"Considering we're sleeping together," Gibbs said, "it'd probably bother me more if you called me Gibbs." Shannon had called him Gibbs but that was different. He wasn't sure why but it was. "Will you grab the map and I'll get the personnel files."

"Map," Tony said waving the folded up paper in the air. He turned and looked at Gibbs and realized his mind was somewhere else. "You okay?"

"Hmm?" Gibbs looked over at Tony and realized he'd zoned out. "Yeah." He hesitated before taking a deep breath and meeting Tony's eyes. "This just brings back memories."

"Good or bad?" Tony asked.

"Good," Gibbs said, "and bad."

"Know what ya mean," Tony said. He could tell just by looking at Gibbs that the man didn't want to talk about whatever was on his mind all of a sudden. "If you wanna talk, I'm here."

Gibbs smiled his thanks then grabbed the personnel folders.

"I gotta hit the head before the briefing," Tony said. "See ya in there."

Gibbs grabbed the front of Tony's vest and pulled him in for a kiss.

Tony kissed back eagerly, wishing they didn't have to go to the briefing. "Will you smack the back of my head?" he asked hopefully when they pulled apart.

"When we get home," Gibbs answered. "Now focus."

"I'm focused," Tony assured him.

Tony headed off to the bathroom and Gibbs grabbed a cup of coffee for himself and one for his partner then they met with the small group of soldiers assigned to them. Gibbs introduced himself as a former Marine Corps special operator and Tony a former SEAL. Both felt it was important that the troops knew they were former military and not just some hotshot rogue agents who thought they could conquer the world.

They were introduced to Weston, the communications specialist; Keenan and Harper, the infantrymen; Lake, the corpsman and Matthias, the EOD tech. It was a small but talented team.

"This is where we're looking to go," Gibbs said pointing at a marker on the map they'd tacked to the bulletin board. "We've got six civilians who need to be evacuated. Do we have any intel on the area or do Tony and I need to do some recon?"

"The Taliban have a camp somewhere in this area," Keenan said pointing to the higher ground just north of the building the Americans were staying in. "They like to lay in wait on the hilltops and pick our men off."

"Every time we leave camp I pick them up on the radio," Weston added. "They keep track of where we're going and which route we take. They have spies everywhere and they have an advanced network for passing information. We can never go the same way twice because they like to set up IEDs. We also have to avoid driving on the roads and we always have to be on the lookout for snipers and ambushes."

"I guess driving's out of the question," Tony said. He'd already suspected they'd fly in but his training taught him to always consider all possibilities and one possibility was the small road through the woods leading to the house.

"It'll take us an hour to get there by helo," Keenan said. "It'll take us all day if we try to drive. I'm sure our pilot would fly us."

"We brought a pilot," Tony said respectfully. "Ace'll get us where we need to be."

"I've got a bird you can take," Tripp offered. He wasn't going along but as platoon sergeant he was privy to everything that was happening in his command. "It's all gassed up and ready to go."

"Appreciate it," Gibbs said. "We have no communication with the civilians but they know we're coming. They've been told to be packed and ready to go in a matter of minutes. We're not flying into a hot zone but we still need to be on alert and take all necessary precautions. Nobody's close enough to come to the rescue if we get pinned down."

"Ace will drop here, at the edge of the forest, then take off again and be our eye in the sky," Tony said indicating the other marker on the map. "We'll have to go the other half mile on foot. I know we don't need to remind you guys but I'm gonna do it anyways, we need to be very careful in the woods especially. Watch out for booby traps, ambushes, anything out of place. Mathias, you're EOD, you'll lead the way. Work fast but be accurate. The goal here is not to be on the ground any longer than a half an hour."

"When are we leaving, Sir?" Mathias asked.

"First light," Tony answered.

"Take the evening to make sure you have your gear ready," Gibbs said. "Get a good night's rest. I want everybody alert and sharp tomorrow."

"Hoorah!" the soldiers chanted together.

"If there're no more questions, you're dismissed," Gibbs said.

The troops filed out leaving Gibbs and Tony alone in the Mess Hall. The two went over their plan one last time then packed up and headed back towards their tent. As they walked, Tony could see the tension in Gibbs' shoulders and sense the uneasiness radiating off of him.

"You're worried," he observed.

"'little," Gibbs admitted. "Not thrilled about going a half a mile on foot through the woods, especially with civilians on the way back."

"I'm not either," Tony said, "but we don't have any other option. There's not enough room for the chopper to land closer to the house and getting to them by car would take too long."

They continued walking and Gibbs remained unusually quiet and lost in his thoughts.

"Is there something else?" Tony asked. He knew he was prying but if there was something he could do to put Gibbs at ease he wanted to know about it.

Gibbs glanced over at Tony but didn't say anything. The last time he'd been in a camp like the one they were in was when he'd received word that Shannon and Kelly were gone—dead and that was right before he'd been blown up and spent several days in a coma. He wrote off the uneasy feeling in his gut to the memories and shook his head. "No," he said.

Tony nodded as they stepped into their tent. He didn't really believe Gibbs but decided not to push. The quiet reflection could've just been the older man's way of preparing himself for the upcoming mission. They were still getting to know each other. He reached over and brushed the back of his hand against Gibbs' hand so he knew he was there for him. Gibbs grabbed his fingers and squeezed briefly before letting go, thankful for the support. He just wasn't quite ready to pour his soul out yet.

* * *

After briefing Ace and making sure they had their gear ready, Gibbs and Tony spent the rest of the evening playing pickup basketball with some of the Marines. After the long flight it was nice to be able to move around with the added benefit of building rapport with the troops they'd be working with the following morning. There was already a mutual respect between the agents and the troops but spending time hanging out together would strengthen it.

After over an hour of basketball, a little bit of dinner and an ice cold shower, Gibbs and Tony enjoyed the bright glow that filled the sky as the sun set then they disappeared inside their tent to try to get some sleep. Tony pushed his cot right up against Gibbs'. It wouldn't be the same as being in the same bed but Tony found he needed to be close to Gibbs. He slept much better when he could reach out and touch the man.

"Do you know where Ace and JT are?" he asked kicking his boots off.

"JT's playing cards with some of the guys and Ace is in the shower," Gibbs said. The four of them were bunking together. It was either that or sleep on the plane and all four men preferred to stretch out on the cots, even if their feet did hang over the end a little.

"Want me to tuck you in?" Tony offered with a seductive smile.

"Behave yourself," Gibbs said.

"What are you talking about?" Tony asked naïvely. "I only offered to tuck you in!"

"Mm-hmm," Gibbs hummed. "I know where your head's at."

"Which head?" Tony asked wiggling his eyebrows.

"Exactly," Gibbs said as he stretched out and pulled the blankets over himself.

Tony smiled and flopped down onto his bed. He reached into Gibbs' bed and wrapped his hand around Gibbs' arm, just wanting to have that contact.

"Night Tony," Gibbs said.

"Night, LJ," Tony said. The two shared a kiss then settled into the silence of the night. Tony rolled onto his side and hugged Gibbs' arm to his chest, smiling when he felt Gibbs' fingers brush across his cheek. Just as Gibbs was getting ready to drift off, Tony's soft voice woke him.

"LJ, will you slap the back of my head again?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Zero Hour**

Ace dropped his passengers off at their chosen location shortly after daybreak the following day. So far they were right on schedule but getting there was the easy part. Mathias and Harper led the way, keeping a close eye out for bombs and booby traps in the heavily wooded area. Weston and Lake brought up the rear, listening closely to enemy chatter.

Every time they left camp the enemy watched them closely. Things could easily turn deadly if their communications specialist wasn't on top of his game; listening carefully to where the enemy was and what they were up to. It was Weston's job to remain alert and learn the patterns of the Taliban so countermeasures could be taken to prevent walking into their trap.

"How we doin', Weston?" Gibbs asked quietly as they trekked through the forest.

"Okay for now, Sir," Weston replied. "They're watching; they know we're here but they're guessing we're just coming to see the Americans."

"Are we gonna have a problem when we take 'em outta here?" Tony asked.

"We shouldn't," Lake, the corpsman, said. "They know the Americans are pulling out and they're obviously happy about that but I wouldn't put it past them to try to kill a few more just for shits and giggles."

"Hold up," Mathias said, stopping dead in his tracks. "Trip wire." He followed it visually into a bush and decided it was better to just avoid it completely. They were in a time crunch and disarming whatever trap the enemy had set would eat up valuable time they didn't have. He took note of where it was so they wouldn't set it off on their way back then they went around it.

"Ace, how we lookin' up there?" Gibbs asked into the microphone attached to his sleeve.

"Nice and quiet," Ace replied. He was circling them in the helicopter, ready to provide air support if they needed it. It was safer for him to be in the air than be a sitting duck on the ground and it allowed him to take part in the mission which thrilled the former Army pilot to no end.

* * *

Stressed out didn't even begin to describe how Arizona native Lauren Braddock felt. The twenty year old paramedic was a recent college graduate and ready to conquer the world. She'd signed up for the humanitarian aid mission the day after being notified she'd passed her NREMT-P tests, wanting to jump in with both feet and also hoping the experience would help her land a job when she returned to the states.

All throughout school Lauren had thrived on the pressure of being first on the scene, on making the decisions that would lead to life or could end in death. She was the youngest student in her class but she never let that hold her back and never let the others look down on her because of it. But that was in America. Afghanistan was so unbelievably different it couldn't even be put into words.

Lauren and the other missionaries had witnessed firsthand what it looked like and felt like to live in a war-torn country. They'd seen the oppression of the Afghan women; the children roaming the streets, hungry, uneducated and wearing rags for clothes. They'd both seen and felt what it was like to live in fear and witnessed the true power terrorism had over the weak and innocent. America, with all her flaws and problems, was light years ahead of Afghanistan.

The short videos and training sessions they'd gone through before their departure didn't even scratch the surface of the poverty, oppression and violence they witnessed on a daily basis. Even still, all of them, including Lauren, had coped well in their new environment until two days prior when the war had been brought to the tiny shack they were living in.

A few members of the Taliban had brought the Americans one of their wounded. Lauren reluctantly stepped in to help the man, despite having assault rifles waved in her face and shoved into her back and chest. The fear of being shot combined with the pressure of trying to save a man who needed a lot more than the minimal care she was capable of providing had changed Lauren. Her anxiety level skyrocketed. She couldn't eat and wouldn't sleep and nothing anybody said or did was helping.

She edged back the window covering and peeked out for what must've been the fiftieth time since dawn had broke less than an hour earlier. She knew people were coming to get them but she had no idea when. All she could do was hope it would be soon. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stay in that place. She was already starting to feel like she was losing her grip on reality. Sanity seemed to be slipping through her fingers.

Just as she was getting ready to cover the window again something caught her eye, movement in the tree line. She quickly ducked down, only her eyes and the top of her head visible. It could be the enemy returning to kill them, it could be the Americans coming to rescue them or it could be nothing more than a mirage, her mind playing tricks on her.

She looked a little closer and was pretty sure it wasn't a trick. The men were wearing desert camos and they had guns—big guns. There was no doubt in her mind that they were the American military. She was finally being rescued. Happy tears gathered in her eyes as relief washed over her. She flung the door open and raced to the men, throwing her arms around the first soldier she came to.

"Are you here to rescue us?" she asked in hopeful disbelief.

"Yeah," Tony said. "Where are the others?"

"They're inside, asleep," Lauren said as Keenan finally managed to free himself from her grasp.

"We need you to get your things," Keenan said with a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll get the others up."

The soldiers along with Gibbs and Tony fanned out and got the five who were still sleeping up and moving. The pace was hurried but everyone seemed to understand the urgency and all of them were anxious to go somewhere a little bit safer than the little shack. Seven minutes after their arrival, they were walking out the front door.

"Walk where we walk and keep your eyes open for anything that doesn't look right," Mathias instructed the civilians.

"Be fast. Be alert. Be safe," Tony said. "Helicopter'll pick us up on the other side of these woods."

The civilians were staggered between the soldiers and the group walked in a straight line, heading back the way they'd come. Gibbs radioed Ace to tell him they were a couple minutes behind schedule and get a report on how things were looking from the sky. So far everything was quiet and the trip had been uneventful and they all hoped to keep it that way.

"We're getting close," Mathias called back softly. They could hear the helicopter off in the distance and Ace was still reporting all as being good. Excitement was really starting to build. "Fifty feet and we'll be there."

Owen, one of the civilian paramedics, was walking towards the end of the line when he stumbled. Lake tried to grab him to steady him but couldn't. Tony heard the click as soon as Owen fell onto the makeshift pressure plate beside the path but had little time to react before he saw what looked like a piece of PVC pipe swinging through the air dropping hand grenades on them.

"Hit the deck!" Tony yelled.

The Marines jumped on the civilians, trying to shield them from the blasts and shrapnel. Most of them were unsure of what exactly was happening but they all had quick reflexes and immediately obeyed Tony's command. When it grew quiet again, Gibbs poked his head up to take surveillance of the situation. He saw the piece of pipe swinging above their heads and quickly realized it was a booby trap, they weren't actually under attack.

Panic led to chaos among the civilians who were neither trained nor prepared for the situation but the Marines knew exactly what to do. Mathias and Harper got the civilians who could walk to the chopper. Lake, the corpsman, quickly assessed the wounded. Owen was dead. The entire front of his body was charred and shredded almost beyond recognition. Keenan grabbed him and headed for the chopper. Civilian or military, they didn't leave people behind.

Weston, the communications specialist, was injured but it was impossible to tell how badly. He had severe burns to his face and was losing a lot of blood from his leg. Lake got a pressure bandage on the wound to stop the bleeding enough they could get him to the chopper.

The force of the blast had thrown Tony a short distance. He was lying on his side next to a tree, unconscious. There was shrapnel embedded in his chest but beyond that the damage appeared to be internal. Adrenaline and top notch training provided the means and know how to get the injured to safety and once they were on board Ace took off in a hurry.

"The hell happened down there?" Ace asked into his headset. He needed to know if they were under attack.

"Booby trap," Gibbs called back as he attended to Tony.

"How much fuel do we have, Ace?" Lake asked as he quickly stripped Weston out of his gear and clothes.

"Hundred and forty miles," Ace answered.

"Can you get us to the Combat Hospital at Kandahar Airfield?"

"We're gonna be pushing it," Ace said after checking his map. "By my calculations, we'll make it with about ten minutes of fuel remaining as long as nothing goes amiss."

"Get us there, Ace!" Gibbs demanded.

"On it!" Ace replied.

Lake rested his bloodied hands on Lauren's shoulders and shook her to get her attention. "I need you to take care of DiNozzo so I can take care of Weston," he said. "Can you do that?" The girl was obviously in shock but Lake couldn't take care of both the wounded.

Lauren swallowed the bile threatening to explode from her mouth and hesitantly nodded her head as she stared at the wounded.

Lake rested his hands against her cheeks and moved her face so he could look her in the eyes. "Breathe, you _can_ do this!" Situations like their current one were nothing new to him but he realized it was probably the most intense thing Lauren had ever experienced in her young life. He hoped a vote of confidence would allow her to relax and let her training take over so she could do what she'd been trained to do.

Lauren took a deep breath as she dropped to her knees next to Tony and looked him over. Gibbs had his shirt cut open revealing a chest spattered with shards of metal. It would be far too dangerous to take them out on the chopper. They needed to wait until they could control any possible bleeding.

Gibbs used his pocket knife to cut Tony's pants off of him. The younger man's legs were fine minus a few cuts and scrapes. A peek in his boxers showed all was fine there too. While Gibbs got Tony out of his clothes and gear, Lauren felt for his pulse and was relieved to find it strong and steady. She watched his chest rise and fall as she wrapped the blood pressure cuff Lake had tossed over around Tony's arm. Once she started working her training took over and it was almost as if she were functioning on autopilot.

"Can you help me roll him on his side to check for injuries to his back?" Lauren asked once she'd gotten a healthy blood pressure reading.

"Just show me what to do," Gibbs said.

"I'll hold his head steady and keep his neck in line," Lauren said. "You grab him under his arm and by his hip and we'll roll him towards you on the count of three."

The two rolled Tony and with the exception of some bruises and abrasions, his back was free from serious injury and it felt like his spine was in line. Tony moaned as they rolled him onto his back again.

"Tony," Gibbs yelled getting right in his face. The noise from the chopper was overpowering. "Are you with us? How do you feel?"

It took a moment before Tony's eyes found Gibbs' face and he managed to focus. He was confused and in a lot of pain. "I hurt," he groaned.

"Where do you hurt, Tony?" Lauren asked.

"LJ, am I naked?" Tony asked, momentarily ignoring the medic.

One corner of Gibbs' mouth curled into the slightest smile as he rested his hand against his partner's cheek. "We left your boxers on. It's a good thing you decided to wear underwear today."

Tony's eyes started rolling back into his head and his eyelids fell closed until Gibbs roughly patted his cheek to bring him around again. "Stay with us, Tony," he said. "I don't want you going to sleep again."

Tony licked his dry lips as he opened his eyes and looked up at Gibbs again. "Everywhere," he mumbled.

Gibbs cocked his head in confusion, not understanding what Tony meant.

"I hurt everywhere."

Gibbs brushed his thumb over the side of Tony's face and tried to smile down at him. "We're getting' you some help."

While Gibbs talked to Tony and kept him awake, Lauren used the supplies they had available to them to create makeshift blocks to hold Tony's head in place. She didn't suspect any neck or spinal cord injury and Gibbs had already carried him out of the woods on his back but there was no reason not to take every precaution. As they tended to Tony, they could hear Lake starting CPR on Weston right next to them.

"If you'll stay with him and keep him awake, I'm gonna try to help them," Lauren said. Her patient was stable and she knew how exhausting it was to do CPR on someone.

Gibbs nodded, glancing behind Lauren and watching as the corpsman blew air into his buddy's lungs. He lifted Tony's hand into his and squeezed.

"How're the others?" Tony asked. Every word was a challenge to get out and he was exhausted but he knew he needed to stay awake.

"Let's not worry about that right now," Gibbs said not wanting to upset Tony. "Do you know what happened?"

"Owen," Tony said, "Owen tripped. He fell on a pressure plate. I don't remember anything else. Is Owen here?"

Gibbs looked over at the lifeless body of the young civilian paramedic. They didn't even have anything to cover him up with so his battered and broken body was on display for all to see. "He's— in the chopper." It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the whole truth. It seemed to satisfy Tony though.

"The others?" Tony asked.

"Weston's hurt, they're working on him," Gibbs said stealing a glance at the communications expert. They'd stopped CRP. It appeared Weston's body was working on its own again. "The others are pretty shaken up, a few minor shrapnel wounds but they'll be okay."

"I'm thirsty," Tony said licking his dry lips again.

"There's an IV in your arm making sure you don't get dehydrated," Gibbs said. "We don't wanna give you anything orally because we don't want you puking."

"I hate needles, LJ," Tony moaned.

"It's already in," Gibbs said rubbing Tony's forehead, "you didn't even feel it."

* * *

As soon as Colonel Marks received word about the incoming injured and got an ETA, he gathered his teams, gave them a brief rundown of known injuries then they headed out to the landing pad to wait. Weston was closest to the door and was pulled out first, followed quickly by Tony. Both men were rushed inside to the trauma bays that had been prepared while a couple other medical personnel helped the others off the chopper and got them inside as well.

There wasn't much of a waiting room in the tiny hospital so those that could walk under their own power were split up between available rooms to be examined, have any shrapnel removed and be stitched up as needed. Gibbs refused to be looked at until he got word on Tony. The small workspace in the trauma bays left no room for bystanders forcing him to wait outside.

As hard as he tried he couldn't catch a glimpse of Tony with so many people gathered around working on him. Not long after he'd been brought in, the doors were swinging open again and they were pushing him out.

"Where are you taking him?" Gibbs asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. When he didn't get an answer, he got angry. "Where are you taking him?!" he demanded.

"You must be Gibbs," a middle aged, balding doctor said.

Gibbs looked the man up and down and recognized him as one of the ones who'd met them when they landed. Unlike most of the others running around there he was wearing a bright red scrub top with his desert camo bottoms and he had a gun strapped to his thigh. He was obviously in charge or close to the top of the pyramid at least.

"I'm Colonel Marks," the man said as he reached out to shake Gibbs' hand. "Tony's gonna be okay. Let's uh," the man looked around and noticed the small hospital bustling with activity, "let's go to my office and talk."

"Where are they taking him?" Gibbs asked as he walked with the man.

"Surgery," Marks said. "He has a piece of shrapnel embedded in his chest, near his heart. It's too deep and big and oddly shaped to get it out any other way. Right through here," he said opening the door to his office for Gibbs. "Have a seat."

Gibbs sat and tried to let himself relax. He wanted nothing more to be with Tony but knew he wasn't allowed in the operating room. "How long will the surgery take?"

"Depends on what they find when they get in there," Marks said.

His calm, laidback demeanor bothered Gibbs slightly but he knew it wouldn't do anybody any good if the Colonel was all worked up. As much as he hated it, the calm was what he needed.

"I know this doesn't look like much," Marks continued. "We're small and we have limited resources but what we lack in cozy atmosphere, we make up for with talent. Your boy's in good hands. We have some of the finest doctors the military has to offer here. Now, have you been looked at?"

"No," Gibbs said. "Not till I know Tony's okay."

"I just told you Tony's okay," Marks said. "He's got a grade three concussion which, as you know, is the most severe. His ankle is severely sprained and there're a few torn ligaments in there. He'll be in an air cast for about a month and we're cleaning the shrapnel out of his chest. Because of his concussion they're not even going to knock him out all the way. He'll be put under just enough to make him ridiculously happy, they'll do their thing and he'll be all set. Why don't you let me go ahead and have a look at you so when he gets out you can stay with him?"

Gibbs quietly absorbed the information and let himself relax at the good news. He gave an unenthusiastic nod of his head, agreeing to let Marks take a look at him. "How's Weston, the other guy who was brought in on a stretcher?"

"All I know is he's been taken back to surgery as well," Marks said, "I'll check and as soon as I know something, you'll know. Shirt off."

Gibbs pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it into the chair next to the one he'd been sitting in. He took deep breaths while Marks listened to his heart and lungs and was patient while his blood pressure and temperature were taken.

"You've got some shrapnel in your shoulder and your lower back but it's nothing serious," Marks said. "I'll get you patched up in no time. You shouldn't even need stitches but I do want a CAT scan."

"Come on, Doc, really?" Gibbs asked. "I feel fine. It wasn't a very big explosion, nothing like Hollywood portrays in their movies."

"The funny thing about explosions is they can shake up your insides and you don't even know it," Marks said. "Your organs can end up bruised or nicked and you don't realize it until you wake up dead one morning. At the very least it'll keep you busy while Tony's in surgery."

"Fine," Gibbs agreed with a heavy sigh.

He was as patient as he could be while Marks removed the shrapnel from of his body, cleaned and bandaged his wounds. Staying still for the CAT scan proved to be a little bit harder but he knew if he moved around it would just take longer. Once the CAT scan was over, Gibbs got redressed while Marks looked over the images.

"Everything looks good, Gibbs," he said after he'd gone over all the film.

"I tried to tell ya, Doc," Gibbs said a hint of cockiness in his tone.

"I know, I know," Marks said, "but better safe than dead."

* * *

"How's Tony?" Ace asked once Gibbs reappeared after being examined by Marks.

"Just getting out of surgery," Gibbs answered. "He'll be alright."

"And you?"

"I'm fine," Gibbs said. "Few cuts, no big deal. How're you?"

"Nothin' I haven't been through before," Ace said. "I'm gonna take the troops back to Fort Savage and pick up our plane. I'll be back in a couple hours. JT's coming with me. The civilians are talking to the shrink."

"Be safe out there," Gibbs said.

"Always," Ace replied.

* * *

Gibbs sat by Tony's bedside watching his every movement closely. When Colonel Marks said they were going to make Tony ridiculously happy, he wasn't kidding. The young man was pointing at nonexistent objects, giggling at everything and nothing and babbling on and on about Gibbs didn't even know what.

"Welp, time for me to go," Tony said starting to swing his legs over the side of the bed.

"Whoa there, Tony," Gibbs said pushing his legs back into the bed. "Where ya goin'?"

Tony looked at Gibbs as if he'd never seen the man before in his life then a big smile crept on his face. "I don't know," he said. "I dunno." He sang it the second time. "I don't know! He doesn't know! He does not know. Does not know! I do not know-ow-ow-ow-ooooww."

Gibbs shook his head at Tony's singing as he sat back down.

"Psst," Tony whispered. When Gibbs raised his eyebrows at him, Tony crooked his finger at the older man.

"What do need, Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"I have to go," Tony whispered.

"Where?" Gibbs asked.

Tony looked around the room to see if anyone was in there with them then wrapped his hand around Gibbs' shoulder and pulled him closer to his level. "I have to pee," he whispered loudly into Gibbs' ear.

Gibbs smiled and moved his mouth closer to Tony's ear. "That's what the tube in your bladder's for," he whispered back.

Tony's eyes widened and he started reaching down to feel for it but Gibbs grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Ya pull it out, they're just gonna come in here and put it back in and I can guarantee you won't like that," Gibbs said.

"Did you see the purple grasshoppers in the soup last night?" Tony asked.

"Uh, I guess I must've missed those," Gibbs answered. "Mine just had elephant toes in it."

"Oooh yum," Tony said his eyes sparkling. "Maybe I'll get some of those tonight."

"Maybe," Gibbs said.

"LJ, I need to tell you something," Tony said.

"Hmm?" Gibbs had no idea if it was something serious or goofy.

"I don't feel good and I'm not very happy but I can't stop laughing," Tony said. The pain in his eyes offset the cheerful smile on his face. "What's the matter with me?"

"Apparently you don't handle pain meds very well," Gibbs said running his hand over Tony's forehead. "Just try to calm down; take deep breaths and relax."

Tony was still for a little while, relaxing under Gibbs' soothing touch. It almost appeared as if he were going to go to sleep. Gibbs moved the blankets back so he could look at Tony's chest. They'd shaved him so they could clean and dress his wounds. His muscles were even more defined without the hair to behind. There were nine stitches in his upper chest where they'd removed the biggest piece of shrapnel and small bandages covering other areas.

"LJ," Tony mumbled, his eyes closed and a pained look on his face, "there's a tube in my dick."

"It's not so bad," Gibbs said even though he couldn't help but feel like he was lying. He wouldn't want a catheter in any more than Tony did but he was trying to be positive. "Just be thankful you weren't awake when they put it in." He ran his fingers through Tony's hair and brushed his thumb across his forehead until Tony finally relaxed into a restless sleep.

* * *

The surgeons were thirty minutes into Weston's surgery and things weren't looking good at all. Their patient had coded not long after they'd put him under and they were working feverishly to get him back as well as stop the bleeding in his shredded leg.

"How we lookin' down there, Simon?" Dr. Trang asked as he delivered chest compressions.

"Every time I get one artery clamped blood starts pouring out of another," Simon said angrily. He was arrogantly confident and didn't cope well when things weren't going his way. "There's no way we're gonna be able to save his leg."

"Right now I'd settle for just saving him," Trang said.

Colonel Marks watched through the window as his doctors worked feverishly to save the life of their patient. After a half an hour of chest compressions they hadn't even been able to get a shockable rhythm. He was losing blood faster than they could pump it into him and after exhausting all their resources he was just as bad if not worse than when they'd started.

Marks knew what he had to do. It was the part of his job he hated most but it was unavoidable. He grabbed a mask and held it over his mouth and nose then stepped into the operating room. "Stop," he said.

"We can still save him!" Simon insisted.

"He's been down over a half an hour and this is the second time we've lost him," Marks said. "We're running low on blood. We just don't have the resources to continue here. He's gone." He hated the words coming out of his mouth but it was a harsh reality in the combat hospital.

The nurse stopped pumping oxygenated air into Weston's lungs and Dr. Trang stopped doing chest compressions. Once he saw the others had given up, Simon finally stopped working as well but showed his displeasure at the situation by smacking the tray holding his tools. The group stood and looked at the young Marine, observing a moment of silence in his honor. No matter how many times they went through it, it never got any easier.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The characters in the Combat Hospital as well as the hospital itself are from the short lived TV show [Combat Hospital] that was on ABC in 2011.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Escaping **

"LJ, you gotta get me outta here," Tony pleaded. "No more catheters and needles and being poked and prodded all the time. Please. I beg of you."

"There's nowhere to go, Tony," Gibbs replied sympathetically.

"Home," Tony said with a sadness in his voice Gibbs had never heard before. "I wanna go home."

Gibbs stood at Tony's bedside, running his hand down his lover's cheek. "You haven't been discharged yet," he said, "besides, Ace is back at Fort Savage dropping the troops off and picking our plane up."

"We'll leave when he gets back," Tony said hopefully.

"They wanna keep you overnight," Gibbs said moving his hand from Tony's cheek to tousle his hair, "make sure everything's okay in that head of yours."

"Will you at least take the catheter out, please, LJ?" Tony begged. "And maybe we could go outside and get some fresh air?"

"I'm not a doctor, Tony," Gibbs said.

"But I am," Colonel Marks said entering the room.

"You gotta get me out of here," Tony pleaded. He wasn't above begging. He felt like crap. He was tired and sore and just wanted to go home.

"Can't let ya go yet," Marks said. "I'd miss you too much but I will take that catheter out."

"That's a start I guess," Tony sighed. "Is it gonna hurt?"

"Shouldn't," Marks said as he got things set up. "You'll feel a little tugging but no pain."

Gibbs watched as Tony's face started going pale. "You alright?"

"I uh, I don't like people messing with Junior," Tony said looking like he was getting ready to throw up all over the place.

"Just relax, Tony," Marks said, his voice calm and comforting. "The only reason we put it in was because that shrapnel was a little too close to your heart for my liking. If we had to hurry up and put you under the rest of the way so we could crack your chest the last thing I wanted on my mind was a catheter."

"Gu-g-guess I-I got lucky then-then, huh?" Tony stuttered.

Gibbs moved to Tony's bedside just in time to watch the younger man faint.

Marks took a quick look at Tony, checked his pulse and raised his eyelids to evaluate his pupils. "He's okay, he just fainted." With everything set up, the Colonel easily removed the catheter while Tony was passed out then got him cleaned up and pulled the blankets back over him.

He retrieved some smelling salts, cracked them and waved them under Tony's nose. Tony almost immediately started waving his arms as he started coming around. Marks pulled the smelling salts away while Gibbs held Tony's wrists firmly against his chest until he calmed.

"Relax," Marks said, "we're all done."

"You and Junior made it through just fine," Gibbs said loosening his grip.

"There might be a slight burning sensation when you urinate the next couple times but that'll go away," Marks said. "Next time you empty your bladder I need you to do it in here," he said holding up a bedpan urinal.

"Why?" Tony asked weakly.

"Medical purposes," Marks said. "If you really wanna know I'll tell you but it's nothing you really need to be concerned with. Try to get some rest, Tony, then we'll see if we can get you up and moving around later this afternoon." The doctor patted Tony's shoulder and smiled at Gibbs then headed out.

Gibbs moved the chair closer to Tony's bed then sat down beside him and held his hand. "You always pass out during medical procedures?"

"I hate hospitals," Tony said reaching down to make sure everything was okay with his most valued parts. "I hate doctors and needles and bedpans and now I can add catheters to the list. I hate catheters. I hate being here. I wanna go home." He looked up at Gibbs through hooded eyelids, having no trouble looking as pathetic as he actually felt.

"You sound like a toddler," Gibbs teased gently as he loving stroked Tony's hair. "Rest. Things'll be better when you wake up. I promise I won't let 'em catheterize you while you're sleeping."

Tony tried to smile but exhaustion was rapidly overwhelming him and the soothing touches from Gibbs were only pushing him closer to sleep. The last thing he felt before his eyes fell closed were his lover's soft lips against his.

* * *

"Alright, Tony," Marks said, "let's recheck your vitals and see how you're doing."

"Doing fine, Doc. I'm ready to get out of here," Tony said. He'd been awake for over an hour, eaten a little bit of the sub sandwich Gibbs had gotten for him, whined about not having a TV in the room, begged Gibbs to sneak him out and been generally unhappy about being stuck there.

"I'm still not ready to say goodbye to you yet," Marks said as he took Tony's blood pressure.

Tony was patient while Marks listened to his heart and lungs, took his temperature and pulse and examined his wounds. Risk of infection in the Combat Hospital was high so the doctors and nurses always took a very proactive approach to keeping their patients safe.

"There a reason I keep seeing you, Doc?" Tony asked as Marks scribbled away on his chart. "I mean, no offense, it's not that I don't like you or anything. I'm just used to nurses."

"We don't have a lot of personnel here," Marks said. "Our doctors spend a lot of time with their patients and you were lucky enough to get me as your doctor. Can you try to empty your bladder while I'm in here?"

"Already did," Tony said feeling a small sense of accomplishment. "LJ helped me."

"The urinal's in the bathroom," Gibbs said. "He went right after he woke up about an hour ago."

"Great," Marks said, obviously impressed with the progress. "In that case, if you promise to stay in a wheelchair I'll let you go outside and enjoy that beautiful sunset."

"Promise," Tony grumbled.

"I'll loan you my sunglasses too," Marks said pulling them from his pocket and handing them to Tony. "Concussions and headaches go hand in hand and bright light only makes it worse."

"Cool shades," Tony said slipping them into place. "Let's get outta here, LJ!"

Colonel Marks and Gibbs helped Tony move from the bed into the wheelchair. Marks threw a blanket over him in case he got chilled then nodded at Gibbs that he was good to go.

"Tony," Marks said as Gibbs started pushing the wheelchair towards the door, "if your behind is not back in this bed in two hours, I'm gonna hunt you down and I _will_ find you and you will be catheterized again so don't even think about escaping."

Tony swallowed hard, his eyes wide at the prospect or repeating the earlier process. He'd been knocked out for it the first time and he had no intention of going through it while he was awake. "Yes, Colonel Marks," he said, "I'll be here."

"Atta boy," Marks said patting Tony's head then smiling as he watched them go. He'd dealt with a countless number of troops. He'd seen and heard it all. Escape attempts were not uncommon but the catheter threat, although just a threat, usually kept them in line.

* * *

Tony laid awake shortly after 1:00 that morning. The nurse had just come in to check on him again. After being poked and prodded and trying to do a few math problems to prove the concussion was nothing more serious he was fully awake. The voices and laughter in the hall weren't helping any and there was no way he could sleep with the light outside his window practically shining in his eyes. He couldn't help but wonder how he was supposed to get the rest his body needed to heal with all the disruptions.

He stared up at the ceiling and sighed deeply, wishing Gibbs was there so he'd at least have someone to talk to but Colonel Marks had banished the older man from the room in hopes that'd he'd go get some sleep. Stress was capable of doing ugly things to the human body and no rest would only make it worse.

When Tony's mind started wandering to the unpleasant thoughts that used to plague him at nights, he knew he needed to do something. The last thing he wanted to do was to relive old missions, people dying in his arms, being shot at, bombs, terror, everything that accompanied war. He considered Marks' earlier catheter threat but decided it was worth the risk. The colonel had left the hospital for the night and Tony knew he was being discharged in the morning.

He carefully turned the monitors off and unhooked himself from the machines the same way he'd watched both Marks and the nurses do whenever he needed to get up. He pulled the tape off the IV needle and after a few deep breaths he closed his eyes and pulled it out, cringing as he did it. His injured ankle was in an air cast that he was technically supposed to be able to walk on a little bit. He'd been shot before so he was pretty sure he could handle something as simple as a sore ankle.

Once he was ready he listened to the voices in the hallway and waited until they were far enough away he could make his move. He was trained in being stealthy and there weren't many people around in the middle of the night. Tony was confident he could slip out unnoticed. He slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, holding onto the railing until he was sure he wasn't going to get dizzy. He tested out how much weight he could put on his injured ankle and realized it was going to be a little more painful than he'd originally thought.

"You can do this, Anthony," he told himself.

He slipped his feet into the slippers he'd been given then slowly made his way towards the door. His room wasn't far from the exit the medical personnel used for their smoke breaks. That would be the quickest exit and the least likely one for him to get caught. He peered out his door into the hallway and found it empty.

As quickly as he could on his injured ankle he made his way to the short hallway leading to the side exit. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he found it empty too. As long as nobody was outside smoking he was free and clear. He paused in the short hall to catch his breath, leaning against the wall for support. He was exhausted and his body was as sore as it had ever been.

After a brief break he headed for the door and looked out the tiny window. When he didn't see anybody he eased the door open and poked his head out.

"This must be your lucky day," he told himself as he stepped outside and silently closed the door behind him. "Actually, considering I got blown up this morning it's probably not my lucky day and if someone else catches me talking to myself and I end up getting committed it's _really_ not gonna be my lucky day or if Marks gets his hands on me again." He cringed at the thought.

He looked around and took a moment to get his bearings before limping off in the direction of the house, which was nothing more than a tiny room, that Gibbs was staying in. Luckily they'd stopped by earlier that evening when they were out so Tony knew exactly where to find him. He smiled and nodded and offered a hello to the few people he passed, doing his best to act natural. He was pretty sure the hospital gown and significant limp would raise red flags but nobody seemed too worried.

By the time he made it to Gibbs' front door, he was exhausted and felt incredibly weak. He leaned against the door and paused to catch his breath before stepping inside. A light outside illuminated the room enough for Tony to make out Gibbs' figure in the bottom bunk. It would be a tight squeeze but he knew there was no way he could climb into the top bunk.

He half stumbled, half walked over to the bed, leaning against it for support. "LJ," he mumbled.

"What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked around a yawn.

"I couldn't sleep," Tony said. "They kept poking me and waking me up."

"Do they know where you are?" Gibbs asked scooting over in the twin sized bed and patting the mattress next to him.

Tony sat down in the bed and sucked in a deep breath then flopped down on the mattress next to Gibbs.

"You snuck out, didn't you?" Gibbs asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Maybe," Tony said.

Gibbs laughed quietly as he wrapped his arm around Tony and pulled him closer. Tony rested his head on Gibbs' chest and let his body relax. The short journey had really taken it out of him. He was happy just to be cuddled up with Gibbs in the dark, quiet room until he both heard and felt someone move in the top bunk.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Ace and I are bunking together," Gibbs answered quietly as he pulled Tony's head back to his chest.

"Oh," Tony said, "scared me. I didn't think anybody else was in here."

"Go to sleep," Gibbs whispered into his hair before pressing a kiss to the top of his head. He rubbed Tony's back as both of them relaxed in the slightly uncomfortable lower bunk.

"LJ," Tony said just before drifting off, "will you slap the back of my head again?"

* * *

Gibbs woke to an embrace so tight he was having a hard time sucking air into his lungs. Not only did Tony have both arms wrapped around him in the tiny bed, he had both legs wrapped around him as well.

"Tony," Gibbs said in a loud whisper. No response. "Anthony."

Tony let out what Gibbs was sure was the most horrible cry he'd ever heard in his life. The older man struggled to free his arms from Tony's grasp but it proved to be futile.

"Tony, wake up, you're dreaming," Gibbs said. Originally he'd been trying to be quiet so they wouldn't wake Ace but he was beginning to realize that might not be possible. Something told him their pilot would understand though. "Anthony, come on."

"Everything okay down there, Gibbs?" Ace asked groggily.

"Tony wandered in here a couple hours ago," Gibbs said. "I think he's having a nightmare. I can't wake him."

Ace climbed down from the top bunk and pulled the chain to turn the light on. He raised an eyebrow at Gibbs' current position but didn't say anything. "Come on now, Tony," Ace said in a deep commanding voice, "it's time to wake up." He was afraid if he touched Tony, Tony would try to fight them and with Gibbs wrapped so tightly in his arms and legs that could end up being dangerous or painful at the very least.

"Tony," Gibbs repeated.

_Tony could hear someone calling out to him as he floated through the air. He wasn't very high off the ground but his stomach dropped at the loss of control. He reached out and desperately grabbed onto one of the passing trees, holding it tightly. As the dust settled around him, he could see Gibbs lying on the ground below him._

"_LJ!" he yelled. "LJ, help me! Help!"_

"Tony, wake up," Gibbs said. "I'm here. You're safe."

"LJ!" Tony said. "LJ."

"You 'wake?" Gibbs asked.

"LJ."

"I'm right here," Gibbs said gently as Tony's grip on him finally started loosening. "Wake up, open your eyes."

"LJ? LJ."

Gibbs wiggled an arm free from Tony's grasp and stroked his cheek while Tony just kept repeating his name until his eyes slowly opened.

"They're dead," Tony said. "They're all dead, LJ. I tried to save 'em."

"Shh," Gibbs whispered. "They're not all dead. They're safe, just like you."

It took Tony a moment but he finally managed to focus on Gibbs and realized it was all just a nightmare. Gibbs pulled him into a tight embrace and Ace turned the overhead light off and climbed back into his bunk.

"They're not all dead?" Tony asked in a whisper, searching for Gibbs' eyes in the darkness of the night.

"We lost two," Gibbs answered. He'd already told Tony about it but wasn't too worried about needing to remind him.

"My head hurts," Tony said almost in a whine. "I have a headache, LJ."

"Maybe we should get you back to the hospital," Gibbs said.

"No, please!" Tony said. "I wanna stay with you. I need you, LJ."

"I'll go with you," Gibbs said. "I'll stay."

"I wanna stay here." The whining turned to desperate begging as tears began to form in the corners of Tony's eyes. "I'm okay. I promise. It's just a little headache. It's not even that bad."

The desperation in Tony's voice went straight to Gibbs' heart. He decided he couldn't force him to return if he didn't want to go. A headache wasn't that big of a deal. It was common for those who'd suffered concussions. "Okay," Gibbs said, "just relax. Let's try to go back to sleep."

Tony nestled into Gibbs' side, resting his head on the older man's chest. His heart rate was beginning to return to normal and as Gibbs wrapped his arms around him and kissed the top of his head he let himself relax. "LJ, I'm sorry."

"Rule six," Gibbs whispered tiredly, "or are ya just tryin' to get me to head slap you again?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Freedom Isn't Free**

The very quiet, very somber group flew out of Kandahar shortly after noon the day after the rescue mission. After being scolded for sneaking out, Tony was thoroughly examined by Colonel Marks and then released. The Colonel gave Gibbs some basic care instructions for Tony then sent them on their way with his best wishes. Gibbs got Tony on the plane while Ace and JT did their preflight checks then gathered the civilians and they were on their way. All of them were anxious to get out of there.

The civilians huddled together in the loveseats to watch a movie on the flat screen TV. Some of them enjoyed a drink from the bar while the others did their best to just lose themselves in the movie. All of them were desperate to get their minds off what had happened.

Lauren was the only one who'd opted not to watch the movie. She was sitting off by herself at the front of the plane, staring out the window at the clouds in the sky. Gibbs and Tony were settled on the couch together. Tony was propped up against Gibbs' side, casually reading a magazine while Gibbs looked at the pictures over his shoulder.

"Think she's gonna be okay?" Tony asked quietly.

"Who?" Gibbs asked.

Tony nodded towards the young lady sitting off by herself. He'd been watching her out of the corner of his eye. "Lauren."

"Hope so," Gibbs said. "How are you doing? You've been unusually quiet."

"I'm okay," Tony said. "Just gets you thinking, that's all."

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Gibbs asked patiently. He was getting better at prying information out of Tony. It was just a matter of asking the right questions a certain number of times.

"Just, you know, reminds you freedom isn't free," Tony said. "We have our cushy lives in America, sitting around complaining about anything and everything and these guys are over here with nothing putting their lives on the line every day. Now Weston's wife will never see him again, never be able to feel his arms around her. Their son will grow up never having met his dad. It's not fair."

"Life's not fair," Gibbs gently pointed out. "A lot of people will never understand the sacrifice that people like Weston and his family and even Owen make."

"Sucks when things end like this," Tony said as he stared off into the distance.

"Yep," Gibbs agreed.

By the time the others were putting the second movie in, Tony was sound asleep on Gibbs' shoulder. The pain meds he was on made him drowsy and he saw no reason to fight it. It felt natural to him to sleep on plane rides, especially the long ones. Lauren was still sitting off by herself and Gibbs was really starting to worry about her.

"Lauren," he said gently, "come talk to me."

Lauren turned and looked at him then at the others. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to or not but they were stuck on a plane together and it was only the beginning of a very long flight so there was really no avoiding him. She stood from her secluded seat and slowly made her way over to the couch where he was sitting.

"How come you're sittin' up there all by yourself?" Gibbs asked as Lauren sat next to him.

Lauren shrugged and avoided eye contact with him completely.

Gibbs sat quietly next to her, giving her a chance to speak but she never did. "Talk to me, Kiddo," he said. "Tell me what's going in that head of yours."

"I'm just sleepy," she lied.

"Uh-huh," Gibbs replied skeptically.

Lauren stole a quick glance at Gibbs before her eyes returned to her lap. Her shoulders dropped even further and her head hung lower. More than anything she just wanted to disappear and forget everything.

"Hey," Gibbs said as he bumped his shoulder against hers, "I've been there. Trying to ignore it and keeping it all bottled up inside you won't help anything."

Lauren sucked her lower lip into her mouth and nibbled on it while she considered what Gibbs had said. "Does it get better?" she asked in a whisper.

"With time," Gibbs answered.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"Like what?" Gibbs asked.

Lauren pulled the collar of her shirt down far enough Gibbs could see the perfectly round red marks spattered across her chest. She took a deep breath as she searched for the right words. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess and all she wanted to do was cry but she refused to show weakness on a plane full of strangers.

"There's more on my back," she said softly. "They brought him to our home. The Taliban. That guy. He kills our troops. He hurts innocent people—women and children. I saved his life."

Gibbs had heard enough jumbled up victim stories to be able to put together what Lauren was telling him. She'd been forced to save a man who didn't deserve to live. He sat quietly while she collected her thoughts.

"That's not what I signed up for," she continued. "I thought I was gonna help people. I knew there was danger but it didn't really register till I got here. I saved the life of a guy who's gonna go out and kill a bunch more people. I've helped kill those people. I killed those people."

"You did what you had to do," Gibbs said. "If you hadn't helped him, he would've killed you and found someone else who would. Your job is to heal and you did that. The Marines'll take care of the other stuff."

Lauren stared off into the distance. She had to admit that talking was helping a little. The reassurance from a man who'd been a Marine, from a man who knew what he was talking about helped her cope. Exhaustion was clearly visible in every feature of her face but she refused to give in to sleep, not wanting to deal with the nightmares. She took another deep breath before speaking again.

"I stayed up every night and kept watch while the others slept," she said. A yawn forced its way out and her eyelids twitched. "I only took quick catnaps during the day while the others were up but I was so scared they were gonna come back and kill me, kill us all. It was horrible."

Gibbs' heart broke for the young lady next to him. Silent tears washed out over her cheeks no matter how hard she tried to keep them in. She buried her face in her shirt as Gibbs pulled her to his side and held her shaking body tightly to his. The tears kept coming and she finally gave up trying to hold them back.

She cried for Owen and for the women and children in the poverty stricken country she was leaving behind. She cried for Weston and the troops who'd lost their brother and the family who'd lost a son and brother, husband and dad. She cried for the innocent who'd lost their lives to the war and for the ones who'd sacrificed for her freedom. All the tears she'd been keeping buried away while she'd been in Afghanistan finally surfaced and there was no stopping them.

When the soft cries turned to strangled sobs Gibbs pulled her shirt away from her face. "Breathe," he whispered. The others looked on curiously but Gibbs kept them at a distance with a wave of his hand. Smothering Lauren wasn't going to help matters any. She needed to get it out and didn't need an audience.

Tears finally turned to yawns and her muscles spasms slowed. She'd fought sleep for so long she wasn't sure if she'd ever sleep again. Apparently the whole 'too tired to sleep' myth, wasn't a myth at all.

Gibbs guided her head to his shoulder as he kept a firm, protective grip on her. If Lauren were his daughter he'd want someone to offer her the same comfort. "Rest," he whispered, "you're safe here. I've got you." The gentle strokes of his fingers across her shoulder combined with the whispered reassurances seemed to be enough to calm her. After a few last shudders and full body tremors, she finally gave in and got some much needed rest.

* * *

Home had never felt so good for either Gibbs or Tony. After dropping the civilians off on the mainland to catch flights to their final destinations, they'd returned to Hawaii. Exhausted and both mentally and physically drained, the two had taken a shower then collapsed into bed despite it being the middle of the afternoon.

The pain meds had Tony out like a light but after a couple hours of sleep Gibbs found himself lying awake. The relief of knowing that Tony was okay was starting to give way to anger at how the mission had turned out. Gibbs wasn't one to dwell on the past but he most certainly learned from his mistakes.

Part of him wondered if agreeing to be part of the prototype team for the Bureau of Special Operations was a mistake. The flaws in the startup plan for the baby agency were certainly starting to make themselves known. He and Tony were stretched far too thin which they could both handle. Effective recon had the potential of eliminating the need for large groups of agents and they hadn't been thrown into a situation they couldn't handle yet. Owen tripping and setting off the booby trap had been a mistake that could've happened no matter how big their team was.

The thing that bothered Gibbs the most was knowing how close he'd come to losing Tony. He still saw images of his lifeless body whenever he closed his eyes. He couldn't help but wonder what would've happened had one of the civilians not been a trained medic or if they'd had more wounded. What if Lake had been blown up? The hour and a half long helicopter ride to the Combat Hospital had been one of the scariest rides of Gibbs' life and considering his past, that was really saying something.

He rolled out of bed not wanting to disturb Tony and headed out to the living room but he didn't have much of an interest in watching TV or sitting alone staring at the wall. He walked into the kitchen but decided he wasn't hungry or thirsty. Not even coffee appealed to him at that point so he opened the sliding glass door and stepped out onto the patio.

The sun was gone and the night air was cool and refreshing. He lit the tiki torches surrounding the pool then stripped out of his clothes and dove in. As he swam laps he continued to stew over the details of their last mission. If the government wanted their program to succeed, they were going to have to keep their operatives alive. Both he and Tony had some basic first aid type training but if things got serious they needed someone they could count on to step in. It was literally life or death.

Gibbs pushed off one end of the pool and surfaced after making it nearly to the halfway point. The exercise was good. The physical strain gave him somewhere to focus his energy and being in the water helped him clear his mind. If he didn't have a basement to build a boat in, the pool was the next best thing.

The cool, dark night was peaceful and relaxing. Even the light sprinkle didn't bother him. He was already wet anyways. The rain was refreshing and made the air smell sweet. There were few things in nature that he didn't love but he'd often go out of his way to be outside in a rainstorm just so he could breathe in the air.

As he swam a thought came to him. He'd traveled Europe with a Scotsman who, although he was a medical examiner, was quite skilled at working with the living as well. Ducky had an endless wealth of knowledge, adapted easily to whatever situation he was thrown into and had some psychological training as well. He would've been a valuable asset to young Lauren.

The man was getting older and had no family left. Something told Gibbs that Ducky just might enjoy the nature of the job. He'd still get to travel and use his skills to help people. On top of that, Gibbs trusted him with his life. He decided he'd talk to Tony about it in the morning then mention it to Bryce when they gave their verbal report. It was time to find out how badly the Deputy Attorney General wanted the program to succeed and how dedicated he was to it.

* * *

Tony grumbled to himself when he woke to an empty bed. He wanted to cuddle, to kiss his lover good morning and enjoy a slow start to the day but Gibbs was already in the shower. He could hear the water running. He slowly rolled himself out of bed, moaning at the discomfort and cursing his wounded ankle when it threatened to not hold his weight.

Once he was sure he wasn't going to get dizzy and collapse he limped into the bathroom and stepped into the shower with Gibbs. It was a large shower with two shower heads and more than enough room to fit a whole group of people in there. Tony wasn't exactly sure why anyone would need a shower that big but it was nice to be able to take a shower with Gibbs and not be cramped.

"Morning," he grumbled, aiming his dick at the drain and relieving his bladder.

"Mornin'," Gibbs said. "Is there a reason you have to pee in the shower every morning?"

Tony thought for a second, positive he could come up with a witty response if he didn't have so many damn pain pills in his system. "Just savin' the environment. Less toilet flushing means we use less water."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and shot a skeptical look in Tony's direction.

Tony was still groggy from sleep and not too happy about being out of bed but he didn't want to lay there alone. "Don't tell me you've never peed in the shower," he said when he saw the look from Gibbs.

"I've never peed in the shower," Gibbs said.

Tony looked over at him, exhaustion still set in his features. "Liar."

Gibbs let out a quick laugh as he turned away. "Yeah."

After standing under the hot spray for a moment Tony poured some shampoo in his hand and tried to smooth it into his hair but found it painful to extend his arms that far above his head. He found he had the same problem with trying to wash the rest of his body. Bending over, stretching, twisting and turning; it all hurt.

_At least your headache's gone,_ he thought. "LJ, I think I'm gonna need a little help here."

"What's the matter?" Gibbs asked, rinsing the soap from his body.

"Havin' a hard time moving," Tony admitted. "I'm a little sore."

"Hang on," Gibbs said.

He finished rinsing the soap off of himself then stepped over to Tony's side of the shower. The younger man's body was covered in so many cuts and bruises that Gibbs was almost afraid to touch him for fear of hurting him.

"I'm gonna try not to hurt ya too much, Tony," he said squirting some shampoo into his hand.

"I don't think it's possible to hurt any more, LJ," Tony replied.

"Just a little sore?" Gibbs questioned as he worked the shampoo into Tony's hair, taking the time to massage his scalp and rub his neck.

"Maybe a tad bit more than a little," Tony confessed. He let out a happy moan when Gibbs moved on to his shoulders and his thumbs started working at his spine. He arched his head foreword and relaxed completely under Gibbs' touch.

"Feel good?" Gibbs asked, leaning in to kiss his neck.

"Mm-hmm."

Gibbs continued down Tony's body, delicately cleaning every inch while Tony stood still and enjoyed the attention. It felt so good to have Gibbs' hands on him. His fingers were strong and skillful and seemed to find all the kinks and knots. No one had ever taken such care with him before.

When Gibbs moved Tony under the water to rinse the last of the soap from his body, Tony reached out and rubbed his hand over his lover's cock. Gibbs took Tony's hand and held it still.

"Not today, you need rest," he said.

"Aw come on, LJ," Tony protested. "I'm never too tired or sore for sex."

"You can barely move, Tony," Gibbs pointed out. "It's not gonna happen."

"You're just trying to get out of head slapping me," Tony said in an attempt to provoke a response.

Gibbs leaned closer to Tony and whispered in his ear, "not gonna happen."

"Hmpf," Tony grunted. "I never get to have any fun."

Gibbs rolled his eyes at Tony's drama but couldn't hide his smirk. "I do want you naked today," he said as he turned the water off, "not that you usually wear clothes anyways. I wanna be able to look at you and see that you're okay."

"Can I go to our meeting with Bryce naked too?" Tony asked. He had to push Gibbs a little.

"Let me think about that for a minute," Gibbs said pretending to consider the request, "no!" He was learning that Tony was crazy enough he just might do it if he'd said yes—especially considering the affect the pain pills he was taking had on him.

"See… never get to have any fun around here," Tony said.

"I'll remember that the next time we're exchanging bodily fluids," Gibbs said patting Tony down with a towel.

"Will you at least jack me off?" Tony asked.

"I'll tell you what," Gibbs said as he hung the towel on the rack, "if you behave yourself today I'll make it worth your while tonight but still no sex."

"What does that mean?" Tony asked. "If I'm gonna agree to this I wanna know exactly what it entails. You're one tricky dude, LJ, but I'm not gonna let you pull one over on me."

Gibbs thought about how much information he was willing to give Tony before he answered. "I will promise you a mind blowing orgasm," he said, "but I'm not gonna tell you anything else because that would spoil the fun."

Tony stared at Gibbs, studying the man as he thought it over. He decided as long as he got an orgasm out of the deal he was okay with whatever happened. "Do you promise not to make me take so many pain pills I won't remember any of it?"

"Promise," Gibbs said. "I want you wide awake."

Tony felt his cock starting to twitch already as he imagined what Gibbs might have in store for him. He could handle following orders for the day as long as Gibbs didn't get too crazy on him. He assumed the older man would probably just insist he take it easy. Gibbs might even pamper him a little. It could end up being a win-win situation for him. He couldn't exactly remember the last time he'd behaved for an entire day but he'd find a way to make it happen.

* * *

"Rough case," Bryce said.

"That's an understatement, Sir," Gibbs replied.

"What happened?" Bryce was short, to the point. It was clear he wasn't happy with outcome of their previous mission but neither were Gibbs and Tony.

"Got in, got the civilians, had some trouble on the way out," Gibbs said. "Their place was surrounded by woods. We determined the quickest and safest way to get 'em out was by helo. We had to trek through a half a mile of trees. One of the civilians set off a pressure release booby trap."

"What kind?" Bryce interrupted.

"Grenades packed into a piece of PVC pipe," Tony said. "The pipe swung down from the trees and dropped the grenades on us."

"Old school," Bryce said calming slightly.

"But effective," Gibbs added.

"How are you doing, DiNozzo?" Bryce asked knowing he was the only injured who'd made it out alive.

"A little sore," Tony said, "but I'll be okay."

"There is something we wanted to talk to you about, Sir," Gibbs said.

"What's that?" Bryce asked.

"We've completed a couple missions now," Gibbs said. "Some of the weaknesses in the program are starting to make themselves known. Tony and I can compensate for a lot of 'em but not having someone with some advanced medical training is too much of a risk. If one of us ends up dead, there is no Bureau of Special Operations."

Bryce nodded slowly as Gibbs' words sank in. Originally they were supposed to be a two man team but his agent made a valid argument. He wouldn't admit it to his men but he'd been worried when he'd received word about what had happened in Afghanistan—worried about the wellbeing of his men as well as the future of the program.

"I know we have limited funding for the next several months," Tony said, "but LJ and I both feel this is vital to our success. We can't always rely on other medical personnel being in the area and available. We got lucky in Kandahar, well, so to speak. Two dead isn't exactly lucky but things could've been a lot worse."

"I understand where you guys are coming from," Bryce said. "I'll talk to the group overseeing this program and we'll see what we can do and I mean that. It may take some time but rest assured we're not blowing you off."

"Can I make a request, Sir?" Gibbs asked.

"Certainly," Bryce said, nodding his head.

"Dr. Donald Mallard," Gibbs said. "I worked with him in Europe. He'd be a valuable asset in more ways than one. He's a skilled physician, medical examiner and forensic psychologist."

"I can't make any promises," Bryce said, "but I'll see what we can do."

"Thank you, Sir," Gibbs said.

"Can I count on your after action reports today?"

"We'll get 'em to you," Gibbs confirmed.

They said their goodbyes then disconnected.

"Think he's really gonna consider our request?" Tony asked.

"Hope so," Gibbs said. "Here, take this and go on out to the living room," he said handing Tony one of the laptops. "I want you naked by the time I get there."

Tony obeyed without question. So far Gibbs hadn't asked him to do anything outrageous. His morning had consisted of eating his breakfast, taking his meds and relaxing. Now that their briefing with Bryce was done they had their reports to complete.

With Tony settled in the living room, Gibbs headed for the kitchen and grabbed some crackers to snack on, drinks and Tony's next dose of pain pills. Getting Tony to eat with his meds had been a little bit of a struggle but Gibbs was worried he'd get an upset stomach if he didn't. Crackers were easy on the stomach and fairly easy to get to down. He hoped Tony would mindlessly munch on them while he did his report.

"Take these," Gibbs said holding his hand out to Tony.

"Tired of popping pills," Tony grumbled.

"I know," Gibbs said, "but you're gonna be hurtin' if ya stop taking 'em."

Tony obediently took the medicine and washed it down with the ice water Gibbs had brought him. "Beer would be nice," he said hopefully.

Gibbs shook his head as he settled in next to Tony. "Not a good idea to mix pills and alcohol."

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Tony said refocusing on his report.

The two spent the next few hours working on their reports pausing to eat lunch and stretch their legs occasionally. Neither ever thought they'd enjoy working out of their home so much. Tony was happily sprawled out on the leather sectional next to Gibbs, butt naked, as the man had requested and Gibbs was wearing only a pair of shorts, typing away on the computer in his lap. Work had never been so relaxing.

* * *

"I never thought I'd have my own pool and hot tub," Tony said, sitting between Gibbs' legs in the hot tub, leaning back against the older man's chest.

Gibbs arms were wrapped around Tony's midsection, his fingers grazing over the skin beneath them. He'd hoped a soak in the tub would help ease his lover's aching muscles but he was quickly finding himself in the mood for something else. Tony had done everything he'd asked that day. It was time to fulfill the promise he'd made in the shower that morning.

He dropped a kiss on Tony's neck as he brushed his fingers across Tony's nipples. Tony laid his head back on Gibbs' shoulder, enjoying the intimate touches.

"Is it time for my reward?" he asked, the calm in his voice matching the peaceful state of his body.

"Mm-hmm," Gibbs hummed before kissing behind Tony's ear and nipping at the lobe.

"LJ?"

"Hmm?"

"You really can fuck me tonight," Tony said. "I'm not fragile. I won't break."

"I know you're not," Gibbs said, "but you're sore. Taking it easy doesn't have to mean less pleasure."

He rubbed his hand firmly down Tony's shaved chest and abs to his aching cock. Tony hissed at the contact as his body involuntarily bucked into Gibbs' hand. Gibbs kissed Tony's neck again as he started stroking his cock. Tony rubbed his ass against Gibbs' rapidly hardening dick, pumping into Gibbs' hand with each stroke.

"Will you rub your cock against mine?" Tony asked softly.

"If that's what you want," Gibbs said in the middle of kissing and nipping at Tony's shoulder. Tony made a move to turn around but Gibbs kept a tight grip on his midsection, preventing him from moving. "Patience," he said.

"I wanna touch you," Tony said.

"You are," Gibbs said rocking his hips and sliding his cock along Tony's ass.

"Oh yeah," Tony purred.

Gibbs wrapped both hands around Tony's cock and twisted, sometimes the same way, sometimes in opposite directions. He wanted him on edge and unable to anticipate what was going to happen next. He kissed Tony's cheek then Tony turned his head and they shared a passionate kiss, tasting each other, nipping at the other's lips and sucking on each other's tongues.

"LJ," Tony breathed, his mouth hovering next to Gibbs'. There was no question or request. He just felt the need to say the other man's name and Gibbs somehow understood that. Gibbs leaned in closer and licked Tony's lower lip, initiating another passionate kiss. When they finally pulled apart both were breathing heavy.

Gibbs slipped out from behind Tony and moved in front of him, kneeling with his knees on the bench on either side of Tony. He lowered himself into Tony's lap and let their cocks brush up against each other as he took Tony's mouth in another kiss. When the kiss ended, Gibbs rested his forehead against Tony's as Tony's hands explored his body, his chest and arms, back, ass and thighs before making it to his cock and balls.

Gibbs hovered over Tony, their mouths open, both of them breathing the same air, feeling the other's warm breath against their mouths. Tony poked his tongue out to meet Gibbs' before their lips joined again. There was something erotic about open mouthed kisses that started with their tongues.

Gibbs wrapped his hands around their cocks, holding them together as he rocked his hips. The friction felt good, the kissing was sensual and the touching was electrifying.

"Feels so good," Tony murmured. The want and desire made every little touch, every movement that much more intense. It had been only been a few days since they'd been together but it felt like an eternity.

Tony sat up taller and captured Gibbs' mouth in another kiss, smiling when Gibbs moaned into his mouth. He licked and nibbled at Gibbs' jaw before moving down to his neck and doing the same. He wrapped his hand around Gibbs' back and pulled him closer, licking and flicking his nipple. He kissed it then sucked on it before moving to the other one.

Gibbs rested his forehead on top of Tony's head, moaning at the sensations his lover was sending through his body. His breathing quickened and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

"You're so good at that," Gibbs whispered reaching out and touching Tony's lips.

Tony ran his tongue up Gibbs' finger then sucked it into his mouth before resting a hand against Gibbs' cheek and pulling him into another kiss.

The closer they both got to release, the shorter the kisses got. Fingers went from rubbing to digging at skin. Gibbs tightened his grip around their cocks as Tony palmed his balls and fingered Gibbs' at the same time, pushing them over the edge together. Loud moans and short, sharp panting turned to soft whimpers as they came down from their highs and their breathing evened out again.

"That was definitely mind blowing," Tony said as Gibbs hovered above him, still rocking his hips, "just like every other orgasm I have with you."

"Think it'll hold you over?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah," Tony answered looking at his wrist for a watch that wasn't there, "for about a half an hour maybe, forty five minutes tops."

Gibbs smiled as swung his body around and settled in next to Tony again. He wrapped an arm around his lover and pulled him close.

"You know, you still haven't slapped the back of my head again…" Tony let his voice trail off, looking hopefully towards Gibbs.

"You're still recovering from a concussion," Gibbs said in a tone that told Tony it wasn't going to happen.

"So?" Tony said. "Come on, I know you want to."

"Tempting," Gibbs said, "but I'll pass. Maybe later."

"Fine," Tony relented. He pulled Gibbs' arm tighter around his shoulders and cuddled closer into the other man's side. The hot tub was working wonders on his sore, achy muscles and grinding with Gibbs was definitely a bonus. He couldn't think of anything he'd rather be doing than spending a relaxing evening at home with his lover.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: R&R**

Gibbs woke when Tony started suffocating him—again. The nightmares seemed to be a nightly occurrence and it was nearly impossible to wake Tony from them. Nightmares were a normal part of life for most soldiers. Gibbs had dealt with them before and he knew it wasn't Tony's first time going through it. Knowing there was nothing he could do to stop them made him feel helpless and the feeling of helplessness frustrated him to no end.

"Tony," Gibbs called. No response. He never responded the first time. "Anthony."

Calling his name repeatedly was the only way to wake Tony. With the younger man's arms and legs wrapped so tightly around him, Gibbs couldn't move. At least the nightmares weren't causing him to become violent. That would definitely be painful and Gibbs had no way to defend himself in his current position.

"Tony, wake up for me," Gibbs coaxed. He desperately sucked in a breath as Tony squeezed him even tighter. "Anthony!" he barely managed to choke out.

Tony mumbled something in his sleep and loosened his grip enough Gibbs could once again get air to his lungs.

"You're safe, Tony," Gibbs said. "I need you to wake up for me. Anthony, are you listening?"

"LJ!" Tony screamed. "Help me, LJ!"

Gibbs breathed a quiet, happy sigh. The beginning of his name being repeated several times meant Tony was coming out of it.

"LJ! LJ." Each time Tony called out for his lover, his voice softened.

"I'm here, Tony," Gibbs said. "Open your eyes."

"LJ."

"Wake up, Tony. You're safe. We're safe." The arms around him loosened even more as Tony continued to wake from his nightmare.

"LJ?"

"I'm right here," Gibbs soothed, running his hand down the side of Tony's face.

Tony fell onto his back on the bed beside Gibbs, panting as he realized he'd had another nightmare. He hated that he woke Gibbs with them. He didn't want to disturb the man. He decided it might be better to sleep on the couch again until the nightmares passed.

Gibbs flipped the bedside lamp on, illuminating the room with a soft glow. He propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at Tony who was still trying to catch his breath.

"I think I'm gonna go sleep on the couch," Tony said.

"Why?" Gibbs asked.

Tony knew if he told Gibbs the truth, Gibbs wouldn't let him go. "I seem to sleep better on the couch," he lied.

Gibbs studied him and could easily tell he wasn't being honest. "You're lyin'," he said.

Tony thought for a minute before it hit him. "I just wanna watch TV for a little while." Gibbs knew how much he loved TV. It was a perfectly believable excuse.

"I don't believe you," Gibbs said.

Tony wrinkled his nose and that was all the confirmation Gibbs needed. Tony always wrinkled his nose when Gibbs caught him in a lie. Their advanced interrogation training taught them all the cues to know if suspects were lying or telling the truth. Tony didn't have any of the usual tells but Gibbs had learned what it meant when Tony wrinkled his nose.

"Why not?" Tony asked.

"Not telling," Gibbs said. If Tony knew what his tell was he wouldn't do it anymore and Gibbs would be back at square one. "Tell me about your nightmares."

Tony let out a deep sigh as his head sank into his pillow. "Just normal stuff," he said, "you know."

"No, I don't know," Gibbs said gently.

"I'm in the air," Tony started after a brief hesitation. "Everything's in slow motion. I'm pretty sure the dream starts right after the explosions 'cause there's dust… a cloud of dust… a lot of dust. I try to grab onto a tree or something so I won't fall. I know it'll hurt if I fall. When the dust clears I can see you. I'm not very far from you and I call out to you but you never hear me."

Gibbs ghosted his fingers over Tony's bicep as he listened. "The force of the explosion did throw you through the air," he said, "not very far but far enough to bust up your ankle."

"What do I do that wakes you?" Tony asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer or not. "How do you know when I'm having a nightmare?"

"I must be the tree you grab onto," Gibbs said. "I usually wake up to a pretty tight hug. You scream out my name. Nothin' bad."

"I'm just gonna sleep on the couch till they pass," Tony said making a move to roll out of bed.

Gibbs grabbed onto his arm, preventing him from escaping. "You're staying right here with me," he said firmly but with the same gentleness as before.

Tony searched his eyes and found nothing but compassion and understanding. He knew Gibbs wasn't mad but couldn't help but feel bad about waking him up every night.

"Tony, it scared me to death when I saw you lying on the ground after that explosion. I thought I'd lost you." The explosion and the idea of Tony no longer being there had definitely helped Gibbs understand how much he truly did care for the other man. Losing him was unacceptable, it wasn't an option.

"I'm here for you through thick and thin," Gibbs continued. "I want you by my side when you're happy and healthy and when you're suffering and sick. If you wanna go sleep on the couch that's fine but I'm goin' with you. It might be a tight fit but if we managed to cram ourselves into that twin size bunk in Kandahar, we'll fit on the sectional together."

"I don't want you to get annoyed, LJ," Tony said. "I can deal better on the couch than with you being upset or annoyed or frustrated because I keep disturbing your sleep. It really is okay. I swear."

"I don't know what kinda messed idea of love you were taught growing up but I'm not having it," Gibbs said firmly. "You're not gonna get away with that with me. The only thing I'm frustrated about is that I can't do anything to make your nightmares go away. I don't care if you beat me black and blue, squeeze the life outta me, whatever—wherever you sleep, I'm sleeping too."

"I beat you?" Tony asked in horror as he carefully looked Gibbs over for marks.

"No, I'm trying to make a point here," Gibbs said rubbing his face.

Tony propped his head up on his hands and stared up at the ceiling, replaying Gibbs' words in his head over and over. That was quite possibly the most amazing thing anyone had ever said to him before. As he repeated it a third time something hit him. "Wait, you… you love me? 'Cause I'm pretty sure there was a love thrown in there somewhere."

Gibbs swallowed hard. He wasn't sure if he was ready to confess his love for Tony yet but if he denied it he'd just be lying to himself. A confirming nod wasn't _really_ the same as saying those three little words, was it? Gibbs didn't throw those words around easily. He looked at Tony and gave a brief nod.

The smile on Tony's face lit up the room and even caused Gibbs to smile a little. Gibbs cared. The attraction went beyond physical appearances to deep within. As Tony thought about the rest of what Gibbs had said his smile slowly faded. "'member how I told you people have been walking in and out of my life ever since my mom died?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm," Gibbs hummed.

"When the going gets tough, that's usually when I start losing people," Tony said. "They can't handle… I dunno… hurting Tony, disturbed Tony. I'm always the strong one, the happy one, the one who makes everything okay. First sign of weakness, people start disappearing. SEALs was obviously way different but a lot of my buddies are still in and it's impossible to keep up with them. They hardly have time for their families, let alone maintaining personal friendships. I mean, I'm still their friend but, I don't know."

"I know," Gibbs said. Special Forces was a difficult job and hard on loved ones as well. He understood that. "Tony, I'm not going anywhere. I don't care how low you get, how hurt you are, how messed up, I don't care. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere and I'm not lettin' you run away when you get scared either."

"DiNozzo's don't get scared," Tony said with a weak smile. "Perhaps a little frightened, maybe kinda worried, a little nervous, anxious even, but not scared, never scared." His smile faded and he turned to face Gibbs. He stared directly into Gibbs' eyes, hoping the man would be able to see the honesty behind his next statement. "I do trust you, LJ, and I believe everything you just told me but I might get a little sca—frightened sometimes. I might need you to help me remember. When things have always been one way your whole life, it's hard to accept that they can be any different. Know what I mean?"

"Mm-hmm. I'm still trying to settle in too, still learning," Gibbs said. "I'll remind you as many times as I need to remind you. I meant what I said. I'm not gonna let you get scared and walk away."

"Frightened," Tony corrected with a playful wink.

Gibbs smiled as he leaned in and kissed Tony. Tony curled into Gibbs' side and draped one arm over his chest. He felt at peace again. He was calm and ready to go back to sleep. Gibbs turned the light off and wrapped Tony in a tight embrace as he settled in.

"Night LJ," Tony said.

"Night Tony."

* * *

It had been nearly two weeks since Gibbs and Tony had returned from Afghanistan. Tony was recovering nicely and it was only a matter of time before they'd get called out on another assignment but until then they were taking advantage of all their down time.

When Gibbs woke he found Tony more on his side of the bed than his own which wasn't unusual. Tony liked to cuddle. It was almost as if he needed to be close. Gibbs scooted closer to him, pressing his stomach up against Tony's back and wrapping his arm around Tony's waist. He nuzzled the back of Tony's neck, leaving a trail of kisses. With Tony's injuries, sex had been in short supply and although grinding, hand jobs and blow jobs were nice, Gibbs was horny and wanted more and he was confidant Tony was finally feeling well enough.

Tony sighed happily as Gibbs rubbed his belly. He was no longer sleeping but not fully awake yet either. Gibbs reached around behind him and grabbed the lube off the nightstand. This was going to be wet, sloppy, loud sex. They needed to wash the sheets anyways. He squirted a generous amount in his hand then reached around and rubbed it all over Tony's fully engorged cock and balls.

"Why don't you wake me up like this every morning?" Tony mumbled when Gibbs started tugging on his cock.

"I just might start," Gibbs said softly before kissing behind his ear.

Tony wiggled his ass against Gibbs' erection and hummed in approval as Gibbs rubbed his hand over Tony's now slippery cock.

"Did ya use enough lube?" Tony teased as Gibbs turned his attention to Tony's balls.

"I like it wet," Gibbs said.

"Wet and sloppy," Tony said his smile evident in his voice. Gibbs put more lube on his fingers, slipped them between Tony's cheeks and ran them over his puckered hole. It had been awhile since they'd made love so he knew he needed to take the time to stretch him.

As soon as Gibbs pushed a finger inside, Tony was pushing back, eager for more. He knew Gibbs had been smart to make them wait but he'd really missed the physical connection they shared. The other things they'd done had been nice but Tony was ready for more. He wanted all of Gibbs.

"LJ?" Tony said as Gibbs added another finger.

"Hmm?"

"Will you take me without the condom?" Tony asked.

Gibbs paused, caught off guard the request. They'd already established they were both clean and that neither of them shared with anybody else but there was something powerful about the bond they'd create by eliminating all protection. "Are you sure?" Gibbs asked.

"Positive," Tony said seriousness in his tone. "Please, unless it's gonna gross you out or something."

"I'm not grossed out at all," Gibbs said, "it's just… I don't know…"

"I want all of you, LJ," Tony said, "and I want you to have all of me. I wanna feel everything—despite all the lube you just used." He wouldn't be Tony if he didn't throw in a sarcastic comment or random joke but he fully understood what he was asking.

"Okay," Gibbs said, smiling at the wisecrack. Tony turned his head and the two shared a passionate kiss, smiling at each other when they pulled apart.

Gibbs finished stretching Tony then lined himself up and started pushing in. Condoms weren't too much of an inconvenience, especially not for that extra measure of protection they offered but being able to trust Tony and eliminating the need for the barrier definitely made a difference. Not only was skin on skin much more pleasurable, the level of trust between the two was elevated and that was powerful.

"Oh shit," Tony groaned pulling one knee up a little closer to his chest. "Feels so good."

With Tony on his side Gibbs had access to most of his body. He ran his hand firmly down Tony's abs and rubbed his cock and balls. Tony was in heaven, moaning at every touch, every movement, every kiss pressed to his neck and shoulders. He couldn't really reach Gibbs so he just relaxed and enjoyed everything; Gibbs' hand roaming his body, lips on his neck, cock sliding in and out of his ass. He didn't even feel the need to move. Gibbs was doing everything perfectly. Tony wasn't sure if it was because it had been several days or the fact that they were no longer using a condom but it all felt so good.

"Roll over on your belly," Gibbs encouraged, already starting to roll so they didn't lose the connection.

Tony rolled so he was lying flat against the bed with Gibbs lying on top of him. He wrapped his arms around his pillow, hugging it to him and relaxing completely, once again giving Gibbs all the control.

Gibbs nudged Tony's legs slightly farther apart and continued gently pumping into him. He wasn't sure why he was in the mood for gentle, sensual sex but based on the happy noises coming from Tony's mouth, he seemed to really be enjoying himself. After the long wait it was all feeling incredibly good to Gibbs too. He would've been happy to stay like that all day.

"You still with me, Tony?" he asked softly when he noticed Tony had gone quiet.

"Mm-hmm," Tony hummed. It was obvious he was in dreamland.

Gibbs kissed his neck up to his cheek, smiling when Tony turned into him. With one arm wedged under the pillow Tony's head was resting on, Gibbs wedged his other hand under them, just barely lifting Tony's hips so he could rub his cock. The change in position put more pressure on Tony's prostate and had him writhing in pleasure. That along with Gibbs' hand rubbing over his cock and his fingers pulling at his balls was quickly elevating Tony's pleasure as well as the lust and desire.

Gibbs could sense Tony's increased urgency but kept his lover pinned between him and the bed, still kissing every part of him he could reach and rubbing his cock and balls.

"So close," Tony moaned as Gibbs lengthened his strokes in and out of his ass. Tony needed just a little something extra to push him over the edge but something told him Gibbs wasn't going to give it to him until he was good and ready. "LJ, please."

"I could listen to you beg all day, Tony," Gibbs whispered into his ear before kissing him again.

"LJ." Tony couldn't hide the desperation creeping into his voice.

"Oh yeah," Gibbs said dreamily, "just like that."

Part of him was just teasing Tony but the begging was going straight to his groin. He tucked his arm under Tony's hips and managed to pull them up so Tony was on all fours and they were still connected. The gentle lovemaking turned rougher and more urgent. Gibbs angled himself to maximize Tony's pleasure then started pounding into him.

"Touch me, LJ," Tony begged.

Gibbs kissed his way up Tony's spine as he snaked a hand under him and grabbed his cock. He waited until Tony was almost at the point of no return then smacked the back of head. Tony instantly covered Gibbs' hand with his cum, moaning loudly through his release.

"That really does get you off, doesn't it?" Gibbs asked still stroking Tony's cock as it started to deflate. He was slightly amused by the whole thing. It could definitely turn out to be useful information.

Once Tony had come down from his orgasm, Gibbs grabbed onto his hips and pounded into him relentlessly. Tony's moans and the sound of his balls slapping against Tony's body filled the room. The wetness from the lube made things very comfortable and erotic and not being separated by a condom added to the stimulation. Gibbs replayed Tony's begging and the sounds of his lover riding out his orgasm in his mind and he too found himself at the point of no return. He buried his face in the crook of Tony's neck as he pounded deep inside him and filled his ass with his hot seed.

Tony reached up and brushed his fingertips across Gibbs' face as he rode out the waves of pleasure. The two dropped back onto the bed then rolled onto their sides and went back to spooning, enjoying being connected.

"I think that was the most perfect sex I've ever had," Tony said. "The way you woke me up and took me slow then built up to rough sex and finally a climax and now, lying here together, still connected—yeah, perfection."

Gibbs nuzzled his nose against Tony's neck, breathing in his scent before kissing him. He was enjoying just being close and having the man he'd nearly lost in his arms. Tony was right, it had been a perfect morning so far and he was looking forward to a relaxing day together but that would have to wait because for the time being he was content to stay connected with his lover while he held him close and kissed him repeatedly.

* * *

"Please, LJ," Tony begged. "I'll do anything and I mean _anything_."

"Tony, I'm not a doctor," Gibbs protested.

"You don't have to be a doctor," Tony scoffed. "It's stitches, not brain surgery and all I'm asking is for you to take them out not put 'em in. Come on! If they weren't so high up on my chest I'd do it myself but I can't see them well enough."

"Is there a reason we can't go to the hospital to have this done?" Gibbs asked. Removing stitches was simple in theory but getting them out was only part of it. Gibbs had no clue what the wound was supposed to look like or if it was healed enough to take the stitches out and then there was the possibility of infection. He would never forgive himself.

"When I was sixteen I played high school football," Tony said. "Things could sometimes get a little rowdy in the locker room."

"Is this another sex story?" Gibbs interrupted with an amused smirk on his face.

"No," Tony growled, clearly not impressed with Gibbs' attempt at humor. "One of my teammates accidentally slammed a locker door into my head and busted it open. Getting stitches was traumatizing enough but when I went back to get 'em out I was so on edge and so worked up I passed out. I can still hear the guys laughing at me."

"You _do_ always pass out during medical procedures," Gibbs said. First the catheter and now the story about the stitches. That sealed it.

"Do not!" Tony said defensively.

Gibbs could sense Tony's anxiety and decided to ease up on him. "All you have to do is relax and you'll be fine," he coaxed. "I'll go with you."

"I hate hospitals," Tony objected. "Please, LJ. I'd do it for you."

"I'm not sure if I'd let ya," Gibbs teased. Tony gave him one of the most pitiful looks he'd ever seen and Gibbs could feel himself starting to cave. "Where's the scar?"

"Huh?"

"From this high school injury?" Gibbs clarified.

"Oh, it's on the back of my head," Tony said rubbing his fingers through his hair to find the scar. "You can't see it but you can feel it. Give me your finger." Tony took Gibbs' finger and rubbed it over the scar, hoping the story had been enough to persuade Gibbs.

"This is why we need Ducky," Gibbs grumbled.

Tony knew by Gibbs' tone that he was going to cave. He smiled brightly at his lover as he handed him the scissors.

"You're scared to let a nurse who's done this a thousand times before remove your stitches but you want me, who's _never_ done this before by the way, to take your stitches out."

"Yep!" Tony said. "I trust you."

"I'm not sure if I trust myself," Gibbs said examining the stitch. He knew all about knots. How hard could removing stitches be? It took him a second of looking at and tugging on the first stitch before he figured out where he needed to cut. Once the first one was out the others were easy. When he was done he checked out his handiwork and smiled proudly. He counted the stitches, making sure there were nine. He didn't feel anymore in Tony's chest but wanted to be absolutely sure.

The wound appeared to have healed up nicely. It was still pink but the skin had grown back together and was holding. Gibbs cleaned him up with the antiseptic Colonel Marks had given them in Afghanistan, looked it over one more time and decided he was satisfied.

"You owe me," he told Tony.

"Anything," Tony said. "I'll do whatever you want."

"I'll remember that," Gibbs said. He was sure it would come in handy at some point.

Tony cringed slightly at the way Gibbs said it but it was already done. There was no going back. He was just thrilled he'd gotten out of a stressful hospital visit. There was no place he hated more than hospitals.

* * *

The surfboard had most definitely been an impulsive buy. Tony had known that when he'd forked over the cash but it wasn't like he broke the bank on a toy that he might never learn how to use properly. He had the extra money and he was living in Hawaii after all. All Hawaiians were supposed to own surfboards. Tony was pretty sure there was an unwritten rule somewhere that stated just that.

He'd also started insisting that he was Hawaiian. He absolutely loved the culture, the laidback people, amazing food and beautiful traditions. He could do without all the spam eating but everything else was as close to perfect as one could find on earth. He may not have been born on the islands and raised in a traditional Hawaiian home but he was Hawaiian at heart.

After putting on his board shorts he headed out to the living room where Gibbs was sitting. After a morning of love making and cuddling followed by more love making he and Gibbs had finally gotten out of bed and Tony was anxious to try out his new board, injured ankle be damned.

"Where's your wetsuit?" Gibbs asked as Tony grabbed his surfboard from the corner of the living room he'd propped it up in.

"Wetsuit, uh, figured my board shorts would be good enough," Tony said. "After all, they are _board_ shorts."

"Don't kill yourself on that thing," Gibbs said.

Tony knew that was Gibbs' way of showing he was worried so he gave the man a reassuring smile. "I'll be careful," he said. "Could you open the door for me?" The surfboard was pretty long and he didn't want to knock over any lamps or crash into any walls or windows.

Gibbs opened the sliding door and watched as Tony walked by him.

"Thanks!" Tony called back as he headed for the beach.

"I need coffee," Gibbs muttered to himself. He didn't like Tony out there with a bad ankle, especially knowing he'd never actually surfed before. He was pleased to find the waves smaller than they were in the early morning hours but it was still going to be a long afternoon or worrying.

* * *

After more wipeouts than Tony cared to admit to he settled on his surfboard not far from the shore. His feet were hanging over both sides and his head was propped up on his elbows as he reevaluated why he'd thought learning to surf was a good idea in the first place.

Despite his previous failed attempts he wasn't about to give up. He'd never quit anything in his life and he had no intention of starting. Normally he was pretty good at sports. The fact that he was having so much trouble picking up surfing was frustrating. He replayed the footage from the few surfing movies he'd seen in his head, trying to figure out what he was doing wrong.

"You're tryin' to stand up too early," a small voice said.

"Huh? Who are you, kid?" Tony asked turning to see a young Hawaiian boy paddling up to him on his surfboard.

"Maleko," the boy said. "I been watchin' ya. You need help."

"You volunteering?" Tony asked. "How old are you anyways?"

"Nine and one quarter," Maleko said proudly. "I could teach you all about surfin'."

"Alright," Tony said, "teach away."

* * *

Gibbs was just pulling the burgers off the grill when Tony returned with the little boy still in tow. They'd been in the water for nearly three hours.

"Make a friend?" Gibbs asked.

"Yup, Maleko's teaching me how to surf," Tony said. "He's pretty good too. Thanks to him I can actually stand on my board now. I just can't do any fancy tricks yet."

"You're not ready for fancy tricks," Maleko informed him.

"I said he could have dinner with us as long as his mom didn't care," Tony said.

"Mom's working," Maleko said. "My older brother's watching me but he was going to a party tonight so he doesn't care."

"Where's your dad?" Gibbs asked.

"Ain't got one," Maleko said eyeing the burgers hungrily. "He's in jail for stealin' stuff. Mom says he ain't allowed to come around no more. She doesn't want us to be like him."

"Ah," Gibbs said. "You hungry?"

"Starved!" Maleko said.

"Tryin' to teach this one to do anything can really make a guy hungry, huh?" Gibbs teased nudging Tony.

"Tell me about it!" Maleko said dramatically.

"Hey, I'm a good student!" Tony protested as he grabbed a can of Pepsi out of the outdoor fridge and popped the top before handing it to Maleko. "Beer?" he asked looking over at Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded and Tony popped the top off two beers, one for him and one for his lover. The burgers were simple, cheese, ketchup, mustard and pickles. The pickles qualified as vegetables in both guy's eyes. So did the ketchup in a roundabout way—not that they had to justify anything to anyone.

Gibbs and Tony spent some time getting to know their guest. The nine year old came from a struggling family with a mother who worked multiple jobs trying to support her three children. What they lacked in physical possessions they made up for with their love. Maleko was a happy child, bouncing around all over the place, showing off some fancy dives he knew, demonstrating a few surfing tricks his older brother had taught him and eating almost as much as Tony. Like a lot of other kids his age he enjoyed being the center of attention and was happy to have someone to talk to.

After dinner, showing off, conversation and ice cream for dessert, Tony loaded Maleko and his surfboard in the back of his Mustang and took him home. He decided he couldn't in good conscious leave the little boy alone so he took him to his grandmother's house where his little sister was then returned home to Gibbs.

* * *

It was two weeks after the Afghanistan incident before Gibbs and Tony heard from Bryce again. They'd both been paged in the middle of their afternoon which would've made it evening in DC. That meant one of two things, they were being assigned another case or Bryce had news on their request for a doctor.

"Burning the midnight oil, Sir?" Gibbs asked as Bryce's face came into focus on the screen in the war room.

Bryce gave an amused smile as he nodded. "We met this afternoon about your request for medical support on your missions."

Gibbs and Tony exchanged glances, wondering if they were going to be hearing good news or bad.

"The decision was unanimous to approve your request," Bryce continued. It was late. He wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush or drag things out. He was ready to go home. "I've been in contact with Dr. Mallard personally. He's not available for about a month. Are you guys okay with waiting?"

Gibbs and Tony looked at each other and nodded. "That'll be fine, Sir," Gibbs said. "We really appreciate it."

"I told you, we're dedicated to you two and this program," Bryce said. "We'll do anything we can to help you succeed. Do you think you guys can make room in that house for your doctor?"

"Of course, Sir," Gibbs said.

"As soon as we get approval for the bureau we'll start building some housing and office space," Bryce said. "We certainly appreciate your sacrifice until then."

"Not a problem, Sir," Tony said. It wasn't much of a sacrifice. Of course Bryce didn't have a clue he and Gibbs were sleeping together but that was none of his business. The doctor's arrival might complicate things but they'd find a way to make it work.

"Good to see you back on your feet, DiNozzo," Bryce said. "You're looking much better than the last time we spoke."

"Feelin' much better too," Tony said.

Bryce gave a nod and a smile, happy with the progress they were making as far as the new agency was concerned. With each passing successful mission he grew more and more sure that they'd chosen the right men for the job. "Night boys."

"Night Sir," Gibbs and Tony said together.

Once Bryce's image disappeared from their screen they turned to each other and smiled. With the addition of Ducky to their team, Gibbs knew there was no way they could fail and he also felt much better about stepping into harm's way. When it came to medical expertise, Ducky was more valuable than even the highest rated doctor in the country. His ability to adapt and work with whatever resources were available was impressive and would be invaluable.

Both men knew Bryce wouldn't be able to grant their every wish but they were certainly thankful for this one. With Ducky added to their squad they were ready to take on the world.

**The End**

* * *

**Author's Note:** The next story is in the works. Shouldn't be long before I'm able to post that. Thank you all for all of your support!


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